Customer Reviews

Suunto Clipper Micro Compass

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

UPDATE!!!
I have now gone through my second compass. Both compasses stopped pointing north eventually, both would settle on 3 different directions not matter how still or level the compassed was placed. I even had a group of people try it so I didn't feel crazy and nobody could get it to work. Suunto replaced them without a problem but I tossed them in the trash when they left me hanging in the woods.

A compass is a very basic tool, and such it should be made reliable and near bulletproof. For surface use, the Clipper is perfect for clipping to a watch strap and used in a rugged situation. It includes a rotating bezel for getting heading estimates in degrees.

I've used this compass in extreme conditions of subfreezing cold, and Pacific heat and humidity, taken diving to 260' underwater and it has lived well.

Like all compasses, it contains a liquid that will not freeze in extreme conditions, and likely this contains a volatile solvent.

Cons:

Its all plastic case can be shattered or cracked, causing the liquid to leak. Thus, a bubble forms and the compass no longer spins freely, and may give reading errors.

The parts are snapped together. They can separate under extreme conditions of under water use, temperature and humidity.

Tip:

For use in extreme conditions, you can prolong the life of the Clipper by using rubber cement or similar, to seal the entire bottom of the compass and glue it to the frame. You have to pry out the bezel with your fingers, it will snap off. Gluing will permanent set the heading markers and will no longer be movable, set it to North. You can glue the snap opening to make a permanent loop for your wrist strap. Take care to not to let the glue seal were the strap should be; dried glue in the strap area is beneficial as it will add friction to hold the clipper tightly in place. Although the face is still not reinforced by the glue, this reduces the risk of a crack in over 50% of the surface area. This way, I've managed to extend the life of this compass from 1 year to over 4 and be used reliably for diving. I'm on my forth Clipper, and its going strong.

It worked for a while but eventually gave up the ghost. Worthless unless you can get it almost perfectly level. I think mine spent too much time on my casio watch band and around metal objects thus making it inoperative. It's ok as long as you know it's limitations. Suitable if you're in a pinch and need something.

The Suunto Clipper Micro Compass is not accurate or reliable. It consistently failed to point in the proper direction which renders it completely useless. I repeatedly tested its accuracy against other compasses and it continually failed to point in the correct direction.

When it comes to utilization of a compass reliability is a significant factor and this compass is not reliable. In addition, it is made of plastic and is easily breakable.

I do not recommend this compass.

Picked this up with a wristband from another supplier. I loved the way it worked. I'm a geocacher and all I really used it for was to find north so as to orient my GPS display. It worked great for that for about three weeks. Then the face and dial went missing one day when I got home from a GC trip. Not very durable. I hadn't been doing anything too serious.

I wear this compass everyday on my watchband, and it has helped me out a ton of times. Everything from finding my way downtown, to helping while driving, and yes, out in the woods when its time to head back to the camp.

It works great, and the rotating bezel helps for remembering orientations. One wish: Night Glow on the North Arrow and on the Bezel for Nighttime use. Ah well.

Used it for bike riding ... small, very effective, and good priced. Highly recommended!

I bought this compass based on previous experience with Suunto products. The compass is a piece of junk. Barely turns to point north, and you have to wiggle it before it moves, even when holding it level. The slot for threading it through a watch band is open on one side, so it can easily slide off the watch band. The dial is very hard to turn. I only paid a few bucks but it wasn't worth even that much. Don't waste your time with this garbage. Wish I saved the packaging to return it just out of principle.

I've been wearing button compasses on my watch band for years. Even with GPS and all the techno-gadetry, you never know when you might need it. I've had many and they are typically inexpensive, cheaply made, and dont last. Although I've only had it a short time, its already outperforming the others.

This compass is horrible. I was driving on a road that was going North/Northeast, and it said I was going Southeast. In general it is about 45 degrees off the mark, sometimes more. That is just not acceptable for any compass, especially a $12 one. The design is nice and it's compact, but it's practically useless due to the large inaccuracies it has.